Professional Med J 2019;26(5):776-779. www.theprofesional.com EPILEPSY 776 The Professional Medical Journal www.theprofesional.com EPILEPSY; ASSOCIATION WITH DEPRESSION AND GENDER DISTRIBUTION ORIGINAL PROF-0-3476 Jai Perkash 1 , Abdul Hafeez Bughio 2 , Muslim Ali Lakhair 3 , Ashique Ali Arain 4 , Muhammad Aslam Rind 5 ABSTRACT… Introduction: Epilepsy is among most frequent disorders visiting for neurology consultations while depression is documented as comorbidity with epilepsy that further disturbs the social life of such patients. Objectives: To fnd out the frequency of depression and difference in severity, age and gender among known epileptic patients visiting for neurology consultations at tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Setting: Neurology outpatient clinic and neurology ward LUMHS. Period: August 2017 to January 2018. Material and Methods: Epileptic patients (129) ftting into the inclusion criteria were selected for study under informed consent on proforma using SSDS (Siddiqui Shah Depression Scale). Results: Mean age of study population was 26.2 ±11.1 (range15 to 60) years and Male, Female ratio was 1.6: 1. Depression was found in 77 (59.7%) patients with 34 (44.1%) mild21 (27.3%) moderate and 22 (28.6%) had severe depression. Conclusion: High prevalence of depression is seen in epileptic patients. There was male preponderance distribution in the study. There is no signifcant difference among the genders and age groups regarding severity depression. Key words: Epilepsy, Depression, Severity of Depression, Siddiqui Shah Depression Scale (SSDS). 1. MBBS, FCPS Assistant Professor Department of Neurology LUMHS. 2. MBBS, FCPS Assistant Professor Department of Neurology LUMHS. 3. MBBS, FCPS Assistant Professor Department of Neurology LUMHS. 4. MBBS, MCPS (Family Medicine), M. Phil (Pharmacology) Assistant Professor Department of Pharmacology Isra University. 5. MBBS, FCPS Assistant Professor Department of Neurology LUMHS. Correspondence Address: Dr. Abdul Hafeez Bughio Assistant Professor Department of Neurology Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro. dr.hafeez80@hotmail.com Article received on: 19/04/2018 Accepted for publication: 15/11/2018 Received after proof reading: 18/04/2019 Article Citation: Perkash J, Bughio AH, Lakhair MA, Arain AA, Rind MA. Epilepsy; association with depression and gender distribution. Professional Med J 2019; 26(5):776-779. DOI: 10.29309/TPMJ/2019.26.05.3476 INTRODUCTION Epilepsy is a brain disorder that is characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures and the seizure is defned as an abnormal hyper synchronous discharge of the cortical neurons. Epilepsy is also a collection of variety of disorders with underlying brain dysfunction resulting from a various causes. 1 Epilepsy have variable clinical presentations, causative factors, approach to diagnosis, and treatment options. Mood disorders like depression and nervousness are common in individuals with epilepsy but diffcult to determine either it is per-ictal, ictal, preexisting or persist as constant interictal phenomena; whatsoever depression and anxiety put additional burden on cognitive functions of brain, that are further worsened by the increased frequency of seizures, involvement of dominant behavior related areas of brain in particular temporal lobe in, and certain anti-epileptic drugs. 1,2 Several studies, suggest that depression is highly prevalent among epileptic individuals and also have increased incidence of (40–60% percent) thus depressive symptoms of epileptic patients are troublesome in diagnosis, treatment and impose social and economic misfts. 3,12,13 it has been also hypothesized by few researchers that there is a close relation between focus of seizures and depression, predominantly depression is more common in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy involving dominant hemisphere; however it is very diffcult to establish the relationship of symptomatology and epileptic seizures from published research. 4,6 It is further added by other researchers that frequent seizure in epileptic patients and refractory seizures have unambiguous relationship with depressed mood 5 and also affrmed the role of some anticonvulsant medications in development of low mood disorders. 6 in addition, few other general conditions, like chronic diseases and individual’s own vulnerability to low mood disorders, may play signifcant role DOI: 10.29309/TPMJ/2019.26.05.3476